Lubin vs Smith results: Erickson Lubin stops Ishe Smith in three rounds

Erickson Lubin said before the fight that he wanted to be the first man to ever stop Ishe Smith inside the distance, and that’s exactly what he did tonight, dropping the durable veteran and former titleholder four times en route to a stoppage after three rounds.

Lubin (20-1, 15 KO) was a celebrated prospect not too long ago, before a shot at Jermell Charlo and the WBC 154-pound title ended in a first round knockout loss. But what the 23-year-old Lubin did tonight says that he shouldn’t be written off just yet — there’s a lot of career still potentially ahead of this fighter.

Smith (29-11, 12 KO) was down three times in the second round, and again in the third. After the third frame, Smith’s trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad had referee Jack Reiss stop the bout.

We don’t want to totally overstate this win — Smith, after all, is 40 years old and has now lost three in a row. But he’s never been dominated or overwhelmed like this, either. Lubin did what he said he was going to do, and he may have put a tough old fighter out to pasture in the process.